210 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 31, 1893, 
is bad enough, but the outlook for the coming winter is still 
more gloomy. Where is the Michaelmas rent to come from ? 
and how are the cows to be fed next winter ? are questions to 
which no satisfactory answer appears forthcoming from that 
section of the farming community who, placing their dependence 
entirely upon pasture, have been content to take all they could 
get from it, without spending a penny upon manure of any sort, 
and with as little expenditure as possible upon labour. In 
ordinary seasons, with an average rainfall, this answers suffi¬ 
ciently to enable them to pay their rent, to obtain means for 
subsistence, and to “ keep the money together; ” or, in other 
words, to keep capital invested in the business intact. But the 
folly and risk of such a system, of such absurd parsimony, is 
only too apparent under stress of a drought, when the pasture 
fails them, and they have nothing else on the farm to turn to. 
Then the underfed cows quickly fall off in condition, there is a 
proportionate decrease in the milk yield, which, of course, tells 
upon the milk sold, or the butter and cheese made, as well as 
upon the quantity of such produce. 
Of the cheese rooms we have inspected this season, the only 
one that is really satisfactory in both quantity and quality of 
cheese is that of a Midland tenant farmer, who not only system¬ 
atically applies manure to his pasture, but also has enough arable 
land to afford a supply of other green crops, roots, and com. 
He also employs sufficient labour to have all necessary work 
done well and quickly. In this matter his views are peculiar, 
aa he will only have young men and lads who board and lodge 
at the farmhouse, and who have to work with him. In a new 
farmhouse and homestead in course of construction for him 
we have taken care to have enough bedrooms for his require¬ 
ments, so anxious are we to encourage good, sound, sensible 
practice on the estate. We have also given him special facilities 
and convenience in the outbuildings, but as all this will be 
explained in another article, we refrain from further mention 
of it now. 
Our especial object here is to call attention to green crops, 
which have proved useful under the great drought, while pasture 
has failed so generally, but not universally. It is important to 
mention this, because though the valleys of the Trent, Wye, 
and Derwent in Derbyshire ; of the Soar in Leicestershire, and 
many a rich alluvial “ level,” marsh, and fen, have had abundant 
herbage for grazing, and a full hay crop, we have also seen 
excellent pasture at hill farms where good management and 
thorough cultivation of the pasture prevails. 
Of all auxiliary green crops none have told better this summer 
than green Maize. No doubt it was the spring drought that 
induced much more of it to be sown than usual, but still there 
is not half enough of it grown. Well does a correspondent in 
The Field ask why stock-owners do not try it more generally ? 
He goes on to say, “ There is a stupid prejudice that it is a 
tropical plant which is quite unsuitable to our English climate. 
But this is not true. If the farmer were advised to grow the 
grain it would be quite another matter, but at least in the 
southern half of England a large crop of green Maize is as 
certain as Turnips, more certain than Mangolds, and withal the 
simplest and cheapest crop to grow which can be mentioned. 
This is the seventh year the writer has taken a crop without 
a failure, although with one partial failure. Curiously, the great 
value of Maize is felt in years like the present, inasmuch when 
grass suffers for want of rain and great heat Maize flourishes 
best if it has firm hold of the soil. At almost all times in normal 
years the pastures are bare in autumn, just when Maize comes 
in ; milk consequently falls off when it is most valuable on 
account of its superior quality. How opportune, then, comes 
the daily waggonload of Maize, which is strewn about the 
pastures and eaten up, stock, lock, and barrel, by the ravenous 
cattle, whose partiality for it is sufficient to convince the feeder 
of its value.” 
Sorghum saccharatum has been of equal value this year. 
Both crops grow with such freedom, yield so large a bulk of 
nutritious succulent food per acre, develop with such marvellous 
rapidity, and are alike useful as green food or for silage, tliat 
they should be regarded as indispensable. In so hot a summer 
Maize answers everywhere. We have seen recently Maize of a 
good height on the borders of Yorkshire. Both these grand 
forage plants are exceedingly nutritious. The Sorghum may 
perhaps be the more fattening of the two as it is so rich in 
saccharine. We have tasted excellent sugar made from plants 
grown in this country. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
The Early Drumhead Cabbages drilled in April bid fair to be ready 
for use before the green Maize is finished. This is what we particularly 
aim at—this overlapping of successional crops. Anything like the free 
growth of Cabbage or Kale this summer has only been possible where 
land was really well done. As the Rye folds were ploughed the drill 
followed at once day by day ; there was thus plenty of moisture in the 
soil to make quick seed germination a certainty, and the land was so 
rich in fertility that plant growth was equally speedy. Trifolium 
incamatum, the crimson fiowered Italian Clover, has been got in well 
on a clean stubble, nicely softened by rain, so much so that only light 
Barley harrows were used. These were passed over the stubbles first, 
then the seed—28 lbs. to the acre—was sown broadcast, well worked in 
by bush harrows, which were followed by a light roller. 
A field of Sutton’s Giant Evergreen Italian Rye Grass sown early 
in September proves most useful throughout the following year. Sow 
3 bushels of seed per acre, and take care that it has rich land ; it is then 
invaluable as green food in stables and cow-house, for bay, for silage, 
and for sheep-folds, a fold of “ Italian ” being generally regarded as 
equal to three folds on pasture, because it affords food for three times 
the number of sheep that the best pasture does. On poor land it is 
comparatively worthless, and the seed is wasted, for though it may 
germinate freely the plant comes yellow in bine, and its growth is so 
stunted as to be worthless. Under the high cultivation of which it is so 
worthy it continues growing freely from early spring till late in autumn, 
giving crop after crop of marvellous abundance, no fodder crop known 
to us being more useful. We place some stress upon this because of the 
popular idea that this grand crop requires a sewage farm. Unquestion¬ 
ably it, like green Maize, gives a much greater bulk cf crop under the 
advantage of irrigation, but we need only to take care to sow on land 
rich in fertility to obtain heavy crops of both. We have long held it in 
high esteem for its earliness, coming into use as it does before mixed 
seeds or ordinary pasture. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Brewers’ Grains for Cows (A. C. C. 2>.). — Brewers’ grains should 
be used in moderation for cows when the milk is required for butter, 
of which they 'are liable to affect the fiavour injuriously if used as a 
principal article of diet. They are considered to promote a full yield 
of milk and are used freely where milk is sold for immediate con¬ 
sumption. Stored in large quantities in a compact mass, grains keep 
sweet and wholesome for months, and we recommend the use of them 
with due caution for all cows while fodder is so scarce and the price of 
hay is so high. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Oamden Squark, London. 
Lat.51° 32'40" N.; Long. 0° 8/ 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
Date. 
9 A.M. 
In the DAT. 
Bain. 
1893. 
August. 
1 Barometer 
1 at 32°, and 
1 Sea Level. 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion of 
Wind. 
Temp, 
of soil 
at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
Grass. 
Inchs. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Inchs. 
Sunday .. 
20 
29-852 
72-5 
62-3 
S.W. 
68-0 
77*3 
59-4 
118-7 
55-2 
0-022 
Monday .. 
21 
29-650 
68-1 
64-8 
S. 
66-9 
77-8 
63-7 
124-9 
60-1 
0-012 
Tuesday .. 
22 
29-869 
67-2 
60-1 
S. 
66 2 
74-4 
55-2 
119-1 
50-2 
0-010 
Wednesday 
23 
29-976 
65-0 
58-1 
S. 
65-8 
65-8 
57-1 
96-3 
54-8 
0-249 
Thursday.. 
24 
30-073 
63-2 
56-9 
S.W. 
63-8 
72-7 
51-7 
1-/4-1 
488 
— 
Friday 
25 
30-276 
63-1 
56-2 
W. 
62-9 
73-6 
51-0 
125-9 
48-1 
— 
Saturday ., 
26 
30-272 
61-2 
54-3 
N.W. 
62-2 
68-4 
49-7 
110-5 
45-2 
— 
29-995 
65-7 
59-0 
65-1 
72-9 
55-4 
117-1 
51-8 
0-292 
REMARKS. 
20th.—Occasional sunshine in morning, shower at 3’30 p.m. ; fair evening. 
21st.—Cloudy, with frequent slight rain; sun in afternoon, fresh breeze; fine evening. 
22nd.—Cloudy, with bright sun occasionally early and throughout day, fresh breeze ; 
dark and heavy, with strong wind at 5 p.m. 
23rd.—Dull, with slight rain early, and rain at 9.20 A.M., dark at 11.15, and rain up tO' 
3 P.M., then fair. 
24th.—Overcast early, a little sun during morning with strong breeze, sunny rest of 
day; fine night. 
25th.—Bright and sunny morning, a little cloud at 2.10 P.M.; sun bright at times in 
afternoon, but generally overcast; fine night. 
26th.—Bright and sunny throughout. 
A fine week, and though nearly 10° colder than the previous one it has been above 
the average temperature.-^. J. Symons. 
